Not to hijack the thread : Im glad to hear your alright, it is true things can happen in the blink of of an eye.
This is something I posted along time ago, but this is my story involving vertical 8's
............
I was practicing aerobatics for the state champs back in 2001 or 2000 I cant recall the exact time frame.
At that stage I was flying a .61 full span stunter, and doing my regular practice flight.
During the vertical 8's during the top half ( where I was giving full down ) I felt the line snap ! and the plane was all of a sudden
starting to do loops..... Inside ones.. - It didnt start with a loop, it sort of jerked and stalled ( imagine doing a top half of a vertical 8 with full down, then
instantly giving FULL up! Head bang
So it was jerking around the sky like doing really REALLY large triangles.. I had to think quickly, I didnt want to ruin an engine or a prop, and I felt like i had some time to think....... - I could see the line hanging loose at the handle.. Not really thinking about anything but saving the model.. I grabbed the line with my free hand wrapping it around my fingers to try to fly it like a kite!
To my surpise ...... I couldnt really control it... I could only fly it up or.. level.. ( why cant I fly down ? ) I had no idea.. but it was.. semi safe, I was doing some weird, large loops, semi triangle style things, with this huge stunter and the lines wrapped around my fingers and hands, jerking it about the sky.
At this stage, obviously I had several people watching, either for their amusement, or concern for my well being, or just wanting to see an almightly crash.. - I wasnt sure which ..
Im fighting with this aircraft, never having real control of it.. Remember I could only fly Up or level, i had ZERO down .. PERIOD. Huh
I was trying to keep it off the ground and in the air as long as possible.. Being that I was all the way up to the vertical 8's i was sure If i oculd only hold out for a few more moments the engine would cut, and it would be saved.. ( surely a crash with a stopped engine would do less damage I thought )
Now how will I be able to land this thing? I cant even really control it let alone LAND it.
A good friend of mine Brian Gardner ( of Bristunt fame ) was watching all this happen and was preparing himself to catch it.. if I could get it in his general direction..
So the moment drew ever closer.. I could feel the engine speeding up as if its going to quit...... I was doing loops and wingovers.. to save my hand which was now cut up a lot.. - Suddenly.. then engine quit in the middle of a wingover...... - I remembered I had up - or level and nothing else.. no down.. at all..
So I let the model dive in the wingover, and at the very VERY last moment.. with about 3 feet to go. I did a regular flat bottom pullout ( if you fly serious stunt you know what i mean by flat pull out, precise handle movement to rotate the plane to level flight with no bobble or up / down motions )
I did this great flat bottom about 2 feet from the ground, and held the down line.. ( which only yelded me level flight.. ) and the plane coasted down .. onto the ground...... for what someone later said " was a perfect landing "
A huge applause errupted!!! I was shocked.. Brian came running over to check my hand..... asking what happend.. I was just in shock..
All I wanted to know ..was " what broke "
Upon investigation.. what had happened was.. the leadout had broken off from the bellcrank, and was jammed at the leadout guides!
What I experienced with my limited control was : up, or level - When i took up the slack of the broken leadout I could neautral out the controls and acheive level flight.. - Of sorts..
Still to this day I get people saying " Hey do you remember.. " - I jsut wish someone video taped it..
True story..